Tuesday, March 13, 2012

First of all, you mustn't. That is, you couldn't read these 1,001 comics, in some cases complete works, in your life, or wouldn't want to, anyway. I know I couldn't, and I've read nothing close to a prose novel in eight years. I skipped around the book too much to give a proper review, so what follows are just some thoughts I have about it.

I want to highlight the two Milton Caniff entries: "Terry and the Pirates" and "Steve Canyon". The description for "Terry" by Fiona Jerome reads more like a research assignment than by someone who has enthusiasm for the strip. I'm not sure where she gets her information that "the strips of the war years are less well regarded by some..." I've never read or heard that, and personally I think those strips are in the peak of Caniff's career. She also writes as if she's just discovering the strip when she says - "His dramatic use of ink brought more life to a tiny black-and-white strip of squares than you'd think possible." How about that? Who knew. My main quibble is with the picture accompanying the entry. Instead of using some strip art or even promotional art, they used the cover to "Terry & the Pirates" #18 from Harvey Comics. "Terry" strips had been reformatted for printing in comic books since 1936. Even after Caniff left the strip in 1946, they were still using reprinting his strips in this series. The cover of this 1949 comic isn't even by Caniff (most likely it's by Lee Elias).

There is no picture for the "Steve Canyon" entry. Entries on their own page get a picture, but sometimes two entries are on a page without a picture. The entry, by David Roach, recounts the amazing origin story of the strip - the boldness it took Caniff to leave "Terry"; how 125 papers bought a strip sight unseen. I'll rest any minor quibbles with the rest of it. It's hard to argue with someone who calls the strip "a masterfully crafted slice of adventure."

Some creators are a beneficiary of format. Herge gets nods for five individual Tintin stories. Is that fair? Someone like Charles Schulz gets one entry for his life's work, but Herge gets five because he released individual albums and not an ongoing serial. This gives some an unfair advantage in the final tally.

So, who gets the most nods? Not surprisingly, critical darling Alan Moore gets the most entries with 12. He's joined by fellow usual suspects Frank Miller (7) and Grant Morrison (6). They've done some fine writing, but Miller's "Dark Knight Strikes Again" is not a must-read. Of course, with criticism it often comes down to personal taste. One reviewer's "recklessly idiosyncratic" is another's sloppy mess.

This isn't a guide to American comic books or superhero comic books. Foreign comics and small press comics get equal if not superior weight. Looking at the last ten years represented in the book, superhero comics get only a superficial nod. Oh, yes, those comics? You mean the ones everybody read? Well, maybe a few of those were really good, if they were on the approved critically acclaimed creator list. Two founders of the Marvel universe - Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, are well represented. They have 8 and 11 mentions, respectively. Kirby gets extra nods for his DC "Fourth World" books and his earlier, pre-Marvel work. Some big names - e.g. George Perez, Bob Haney, Chuck Dixon, Russ Heath, Jim Aparo - get nothing.

The anti-superhero bias can't be dwelled upon. It's a common theme to comics criticism, and perhaps the authors' aim is to steer you to quality, lower selling work that you may have missed. Herein lies what I think is a huge missed opportunity. Here are 1,001 comics that you "must read", but there's no indication of how to get them. For example, nearly the entire output from The Library of American Comics is represented, but from the entries you'd have no notion that they're available. I'm guessing that there wouldn't even be entries for obscure works like "Miss Fury" and "King Aroo" if not for the LOAC and other archival publishers.

All in all, it's an interesting reference for the experienced collector. For the newbie or mass market, it's too much to ingest. For this reader, though I do think it favors some comic snobbery, the immense variety of genres does emphasize one oft-ignored adage: Comics, as both an art form and storytelling medium, are for everyone and can be about anything.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Here's a closer look at the slipcase for the Complete Steve Canyon on DVD. John Ellis, who's putting the whole thing together, has been battling shipping and technical difficulties to get Volume 3 of the set completed. Volume 3 will be packed with extras. Along with the commentaries from those who worked on the series and from aviation experts, there will also be documentaries and more information on the star of the show, Dean Fredericks. Ellis has been putting together all the archival material he can find related to the series. Pre-order yours today!

"Columbus Cartoonists: a Bicentennial Celebration" is the current exhibit in The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum's reading room. Among the cartoonists with work represented are the library's namesake, who was a longtime cartoonist for the Columbus Dispatch, and his protege, Milton Caniff, who honed his art skills at the Dispatch and for student publications at OSU.

The cartoon research library has also started its own blog! Given that it's the largest archive of original cartoon art in the world, the mind staggers at the possibilities. I'll definitely be an eager weekly reader.

The Magnificent Medills is a new biography by Megan McKinney. The Medill family created a media dynasty, which included Captain Joseph Medill Patterson, owner of the New York Daily News. The golden age of the comic strip flourished under Patterson, who understood its important role in newspaper circulation. It was Patterson who hired Caniff to do the comic strip that became "Terry & the Pirates".

A longtime Toronto comic book store, named for a famous Caniff character, has closed. Dragon Lady Comics, which originally started as a comic mail order business, first opened in 1979 as Dragon Lady Paper Nostalgia. A victim of high rents and low sales led to the shop's demise, though it lives on as a smaller shop in a different location - the Comic Book Lounge. You can read more about the store closing here.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Ye olde blogger turned 40 last week, and with that came a celebration with family and friends. If they weren't enough of an embarassment of riches, I also received a generous number of gifts. These folks know me all too well, as the gifts revolved around my love of comics, music, and books. Keeping with our Caniff theme here on the blog, here are the two Caniff-centric gifts that I received.

The first is an original artwork by my pal, Todd Fox. Todd is a veteran comic book artist, and his current project is Aym Geronimo. The fantastic piece below, measuring a staggering 14"x17", was inspired by an offhand comment in a phone conversation. Yes, that's Steve Canyon vs. Galactus. As Smilin' Stan would say, 'Nuff Said!

This next piece was a gift from my pal, Ted Haycraft. He commissioned fellow Caniffite Randy Reynaldo to do this special piece featuring Caniff's famous creation wishing yours truly a happy birthday. Randy is the creator of Rob Hanes Adventures, as well as a faithful reader of this blog. Spectacular job, Randy, and thanks again, Ted!